Damp squib

Carmen
Royal Opera House

What is an opera house for? The question would sound silly if it weren’t being asked in a particular and, in this case, rather peculiar context: that of the latest press release from the Royal Opera, which lists productions of opera and ballet for next season, but begins by excitedly letting us know about a new ‘initiative’, the idea of which is to attract a new audience to the opera house: it seems that the management is more concerned to get people inside the building itself than to attend any performances of the kind that normally take place there. So we’re told ‘Deloitte Ignite opens alongside the launch of the 2008/9 season and is aimed at London’s [note the usual indifference to anyone living outside London] artistically curious; young professionals who may or may not yet have considered the Royal Opera House as somewhere for them. Spaces within the Opera House building will come alive with diverse creativity inspired by the senses, how we experience the world and create meaning from it, taking the traditional art forms of opera and ballet as a starting point.’

I’d be disingenuous if I didn’t admit a reluctant envy of someone who can write this kind of rubbish. But a few questions: the Opera House is usually full or nearly so, many of the members of the audience having found their way there without wholly irrelevant initiatives of the kind being planned. Why shouldn’t artistically curious young professionals find their own way there, if there are any seats for them? And how would their appearance relate to a building coming alive, not something I regard as appealing, with diverse creativity or anything else? And why should the ‘traditional forms of opera and ballet’ be a starting point, and for what? Mozart as a starting point for creating meaning from the world inspired by the senses? Of course it’s an error of taste even to attempt to make sense of this level of imbecilic prose, which aims merely to overawe people — but will it attract those young professionals?

Suppose they made the transition from whatever delights Deloitte Ignite provided for them and paid their £165 for a ticket, what would they think of, say, the revival of Carmen which is on at present? They would certainly recognise some of the tunes, and might well be exhilarated by the panache with which the conductor Daniel Oren launches into the prelude.